Critics praise 'big, brassy' Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Broadway debut

BROADWAY critics have greeted Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with warm reviews after its opening on Sunday night New York time.

Theater Review Priscilla Queen of the Desert

BROADWAY critics have greeted the Australian musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with warm, if occasionally mixed, reviews after its opening on Sunday night New York time.

The most influential early review is by The Hollywood Reporter's critic David Rooney, an Australian known for an acerbic style but fondness for his hometown nonetheless.

Rooney described the Simon Phillips'-directed musical as “Big, brassy, unapologetically profane and over the top - it's no wonder Bette Midler signed on as a producer”.

In a review that praises the show's over-the-top costumes and its boldness, Rooney said Priscilla's “final medley unleashes an orgy of iconic Australiana, which seems only fitting for a show not the least bit shy about its taste for flaming excess”.

“The writers and director seem less interested in exposition or character establishment than in stringing together outrageous showstoppers, often to exhausting effect,” he said.

“There's A LOT going on. While much of it is gaudy, fabulous and funny, it's not until act two that the aggressively high-energy musical calms down enough to allow emotional investment in its characters.”

The Chicago Tribune gave Priscilla a fuzzy embrace, praising “a pulsing theatrical heart and soul”. Tribune critic Chris Jones wrote, “Priscilla has a rich dynasty of queens, unfazed by any desert and very much at home on Broadway”.

Unlike in Australia, where critics see a new show on opening night and file reviews as soon as they can thereafter, Broadway critics usually see the show in the days prior to the opening.

So these reviews are not initial responses, they have been written with some time to consider the material.

A much-awaited review from The New York Times is not yet published but even it cannot make or break this show – Priscilla survived tepid initial reviews in Sydney and London and five years later it is still going strong.